Previously on Everything Changes…
Bonnie sat at her kitchen counter, idly picking at her spaghetti.
"What's wrong, Bonnie?" her father queried from across the counter.
When his daughter didn't say anything, Sheriff Bennett frowned. "You know I want you to be able to tell me anything…"
Bonnie sighed, setting down her fork with a clink. "I did something bad, and I lied about it…" when she saw her father's face, she quickly amended, "Nothing illegal, I promise…I just couldn't do what she wanted me to do, so I pretended to do it, even though I really didn't. Grams would have never done it, so I couldn't either. But when they find out…they'll hate me, Dad."
Her father started to ask more, but when he saw the hot tears streaming down her face, he simply put down his fork and went over to hug his daughter.
Third Person POV
Four days had passed since Caroline discovered her biological father was still alive.
Four days of stress and frustration.
Four days of training with Alaric.
Six journal entries written alone.
Dear Diary,
It's me again. I know that when I look back at all these entries I've written over the past few days, I'm going to laugh at how completely and utterly stupid I'm being. I know I'm definitely overthinking as well.
Typical me, huh?
Today's the Founder's Day parade and Elena, Angelica and I have to go and get our dresses on soon. I had the fittings yesterday. It was kind of fun to try on the different styles of dresses from back then and pick out the one I liked the best. It was quite a process, but I'm happy with my final choice.
Isobel's words keep echoing in my mind. Is she right in saying that Damon is in love with me? I've been avoiding him and as much as I don't want to believe Isobel, the signs are all pretty much there – though, love is quite a strong word. Why would anyone be in love with me? I mean I'm me! Infatuated, sure – but love?
Stefan and I had lunch yesterday afternoon and he told me Damon's theory about John, Ezra and…Bill. Could John really be Elena's dad? It all made sense, but it could just be pure and utter coincidence. And the theory that Ezra and Bill (it doesn't feel right to call him my dad) are not only working with Isobel, but are possibly working towards some other goal does seem to make sense. After all, it was my dad who thought I was Chandra that one time outside the raffle. He asked if he was done; but the real question is, done with what? From what I've heard about Chandra, if she's around, then Katherine must not be far behind.
The device we gave Isobel is de-spelled, thankfully. Because I know that both Bill and Ezra hate vampires, if they got ahold of the actual thing and had the vampire's knowledge of whatever the heck it does…well, let's just say that that definitely wouldn't end pretty for the Salvatores and Klaus.
Alright, I have to go now. Wish me luck.
Caroline
~0~
Caroline's POV
Elena, Jenna and I all stood inside one of the large canopy tents. We had thirty minutes until the parade started and we needed at least fifteen minutes to squeeze into our dresses.
Elena was leaning over a chair as Jenna laced up her corset. Her dress was a dark khaki color with small white flowers embroidered all over the skirt. A cream piece of silk was wrapped around the top part of her bust, covering her shoulders and back. Another olive piece of cloth was tied around her waist; two longer pieces of the cloth trailed down both sides of her body.
After much griping and groaning from Elena's part, she was finally done. I helped her put on the necklace Stefan had given her, and then it was my turn.
(a/n: to see Caroline's dress, look up on google : gone with the wind scarlett's portrait gown)
My dress was a dark navy blue with a sweetheart neckline and poofy off-the-shoulder sleeves. The fabric looked like it would be completely velvet, but it was actually a bunch of dark tulle and polyester layers with one top layer of velvet on top. The skirt went all the way to the ground, hiding my feet. The bodice was also the same velvet as the skirt. It was beautifully dark and simple, with no masses of jewels or embroidered flowers. The only accent was right in the middle, where three small diamond faux buttons were stacked right between my breasts.
As I slipped the surprisingly heavy gown over my head, Jenna gasped.
"Oh my gosh, you both look so pretty!"
I beamed at Elena, who was blocking my view of the tall mirror.
"Ah, ah, ah!" Jenna chided. "You don't get to see yourself until I'm done lacing and buttoning you up."
I jutted out my bottom lip for a split second, pretending to pout.
Jenna then went to work on the row of buttons and zippers that went up my back, finally hooking the small eyelet that was at the very top.
"How does it feel?" Elena asked, as her eyes drifted up my body.
"Lighter than I thought, but I know there's no way I'm going to get cold even though it's February!" I said with a laugh.
Geez, February. Where did the time go the last few months?
"Alright, here's your necklace," Jenna said after taking a deep breath. She latched my heart locket around my neck and Elena stepped out of the way.
My eyes widened at the sight of myself and I couldn't help but to beam widely.
"You need to thank your friend for me, Jenna. She did a fabulous job altering this dress!"
"She really did," Jenna said, grinning. "You both look fabulous."
When we heard Carol Lockwood outside bickering at the volunteers, we started to leave.
"No, wait! We have to get a picture first!" Jenna called.
I paused, wrapping an arm around my friend's waist. Elena did the same and we looked at Jenna, huge smiles on our faces.
~0~
Third Person POV
Stefan stood outside Mystic Falls High, waiting on his time to go up on the float with Elena. He was in his "Gone With the Wind" attire, wandering around aimlessly.
"Look at you, all retro," Damon said, walking up to him. Damon was in a dark long sleeved shirt and equally dark jeans, his raven hair mussed from the wind.
"What are you doing here?" Stefan queried, as he moved forward slowly.
"Why wouldn't I be here?" Damon countered with a smirk. "Bonnie deactivated the Gilbert-Forbes invention, Isobel is gone and it's Founder's Day! I'm here to eat cotton candy and steal your girl."
Stefan frowned, not liking where Damon's head was at.
He knew that by 'your girl', Damon was speaking of Caroline and not Elena, but he didn't want Damon to be with Care. She wasn't Chandra, and he needed to know that. He couldn't have his friend hurt; she was his best friend, his little sister!
Stefan directed his annoyed frown to his older brother. "Don't start with me, Damon."
Damon jutted his eyebrows up with a shrug. "Oh, you started this Stefan. That whole "I'm going to be an overprotective older brother; leave Care alone" speech. I'm just enjoying that." He smirked again, crossing his arms across his chest.
"As long as you heard it," Stefan retorted, nonchalantly shrugging.
"What?" Damon shot him a look of mock confusion before grinning at his brother's increasing annoyance. "You have no sense of human, Stefan."
"Actually," he clarified. "I have no sense of 'Damon humor'."
Damon rolled his eyes, "Damon humor."
Stefan started slowly walking towards the float, hoping Damon would leave him alone.
No such luck.
"Hey, look, I get it, I get it. I'm the better, hotter, far more interesting brother and you don't want a repeat of Amelia." He shrugged, jogging a few paces to catch up. "And now you're scared that since Chandra is out of the picture, that I'm gonna turn my attention to the lovely Caroline. But don't worry brother dearest, Caroline is not Chandra."
Stefan leveled his gaze on him.
He was right; he did not want a repeat of Amelia.
"You're right, she's not."
Damon's face suddenly changed, his attention caught from something over Stefan's shoulder.
Caroline and Elena were walking towards the brothers; their elaborate gown skirts help up in their hands.
Damon's gaze hungrily traveled up and down Caroline's body, taking her in. The dark velvet gown complimented her fair skin and the tight bodice enhanced her waist and breasts. She looked tall and elegant.
Much more beautiful than Chandra, Damon found himself thinking. This beauty was utterly and completely Caroline.
Meanwhile, Stefan's eyes were staring at Elena, who looked like the spitting image of Katherine. Her dark brown hair was curled and bits of the top were pulled away from her face; while her dark khaki embroidered gown accented her lithe figure nicely.
The girls caught the brother's gaze and both glanced at one another with shy smiles before stopping.
A slight rosy pink blush crept into Caroline's cheeks as she grabbed the corners of her skirt and curtsied. Her eyes locked with Damon's, much to her own surprise. While this was going on, Elena flashed her boyfriend a sultry look and curtsied as well.
Klaus appeared behind the brothers, farther back in the crowd. He was wearing a suit much like Stefan's, though his thick tie was a dark red instead of purple.
His eyes locked onto a deep blue dress, not yet seeing that it was Caroline.
Who is that ravishing beauty? He wondered, sidestepping a few people to get a better look.
When Caroline's long wavy blonde locks came into view, his heart would have stopped – if it were still beating.
At first thought, he could have sworn it was Chandra; but when he approached the Salvatore brothers and the girls, he realized it was Caroline.
"You look absolutely ravishing, love," Klaus said from behind Damon, startling Caroline.
She jumped slightly and stood up from her curtsy, only to turn to Klaus and smile.
"Thank you, Klaus."
He grinned wolfishly and stepped forward to take her hand and place it in the nook of his arm.
"Why are you all dressed up for?" Damon demanded, staring at Klaus and Caroline's joined arms. "Are you her escort?"
Care glanced down, seeing the jealousy in Damon's eyes and hearing it in his words. She'd tried to get another escort, but Mrs. Lockwood insisted on her keeping Klaus, even though Damon had filled in for him at the dance. Honestly, she didn't want either man to escort her. Care didn't want to hurt either man's feelings and she knew it would just cause some sort of drama. The only extra escort was out sick, so she didn't have a choice.
Klaus simply smirked devilishly and nodded in response.
~0~
Jeremy finished dressing into his parade clothes. He stood in his room, the window open. He hadn't seen Anna yet today.
"Look at you," a familiar voice said.
Smiling, Jeremy turned around to see his girlfriend.
"I know, it's stupid huh? I'm part of the parade; but how are you? I've been so worried and I feel awful," he blurted out at once.
Anna smiled understandingly at Jeremy's sentence, then frowned. "Why? You didn't kill my mother, your uncle and Ezra Forbes did."
"Are you sure it was him?"
"Who else would have done it?"
Jeremy gnawed on his bottom lip, trying to think of a way to make Anna understand.
"He doesn't understand, Anna. It's who he is," he settled with. "He hates all vampires. He's just doing what he thinks is right."
"Are you defending him?" She accused, a hurt look passing over her face.
"No, no way!" He clarified himself quickly. "It's just…I do understand where he's coming from. He's convinced all the tomb vampires want revenge on this town and he's just…trying to protect it."
Anna nodded solemnly. "They do want revenge – or at least they did – but that's why we separated from them. My mom wasn't after revenge; she only wanted her life back," she paused a beat, then took Jeremy's hands and gazed into his eyes. "I have to get out of this town, Jer."
Her boyfriend frowned, eyebrows dipping down low.
"You're leaving?"
Anna pulled her hands away and wrung them together, slightly nervous. "I've been thinking…you could come with me. I could turn you. I mean, you said you wanted me to," she rustled through her jacket pockets, finally finding what she wanted. "Here."
A vial of dark crimson liquid was pressed into Jeremy's large palm.
He stared at it, eyes wide.
Surely she wasn't asking him what he thought she was!
"It's my blood," Anna explained quietly, as if it wasn't obvious. "If you die with it in your system, you'll come back."
Jeremy looked away from the blood and Anna, mind spinning.
"Anna…" slipped out of his mouth.
What else could he say?
"I know you, what it's like for you…being alone, always feeling empty inside, no one to understand. But when you're a vampire, you don't have to feel that way. You can shut it off. I can show you how."
Jeremy let her words sink in; he had to admit, the offer was tempting.
"I wanted to, I did…." He turned away from Anna to glance at the digital clock on his dresser. He glanced again at the vial before turning to where Anna once stood.
She was gone.
~0~
Caroline's POV –
Klaus and I stood in line behind Matt and Angelica. It was Angelica's idea to get pictures taken before the parade, and despite my desperate attempts to decline, she wasn't taking no for an answer.
So there Klaus and I stood, side by side, like some high school couple.
It was weird, really.
"Oh wait!" Angelica piped up before Bonnie could take the picture. "Your cast! It's not era-friendly."
Matt groaned, staring down at his girlfriend. "Seriously?"
She nodded eagerly and they changed stances. A few snaps later Angelica turned to me.
"I want one with Bonnie and Caroline now!"
I forced a smile on my face.
"Here, I can take it," a deep voice offered and we all looked to the sound.
Tyler.
Matt stared hard at his once good friend before saying, "I'll be on the float."
After the blonde had stormed off, Tyler frowned and grumbled, "I said I was sorry!"
I couldn't help but to snort indignantly.
"Tyler, you made out with his mother and then beat him to a pulp. You're definitely going to have to do better than 'sorry'."
The boy let out a groan and Klaus just laughed.
"The girls' got a point, mate."
The picture was taken and then it was our turn to get our pictures done.
I stood in front of Klaus, angling my body towards his. His arm snaked around my waist, tugging me closer to him. I squeaked in surprise and he smirked devilishly down at me.
"Sorry love, sometimes I forget my own strength," he murmured, his gaze on my face.
I pursed my lips. "Uh huh, sure."
"Smile!" Tyler said, not really paying attention to the two of us.
I forced a smile on my face as the camera flashed.
~0~
Elena and I were talking about John and Ezra when something caught her eye.
"Jeremy!" she shouted, turning to toddle off after him in her heels.
He paused and I followed after her. "I was wondering where you were," she continued, nervously. "You look great, and you guys did a really good job on the float!"
His face hardened. "Go away, Elena," his gaze skittered over to me. "Both of you, just leave me the hell alone."
"Jeremy…" I said gently, feeling slightly guilty for this whole mess.
If I hadn't been more careful about what I wrote…
"I don't want it to be like this between us, Jer," Elena urged, reaching out to touch her brother's arm. He flinched away.
"C'mon Jeremy, your sister said she was sorry, what else do you want from her? Just accept her apology and stop being stubborn!" I grumbled.
"Why don't you just mind your own business Care! Or hell, have Klaus erase my memory again? Then I could go back to being your in-the-dark little brother," he directed the last part to Elena with a pointed glare.
"Jer," the brunette said softly again, tears brimming in her eyes. "Please."
"Just don't! Neither of you can fix this that easily! Something like what you both did just doesn't get fixed with a 'sorry'!"
He took one last cold stare at the two of us before leaving.
~0~
All of the Miss Mystic Falls court, including Klaus and myself, were in our spots on the float.
Matt and Angelica were at the highest point, then it was Klaus and I and Stefan and Elena were next, and two other couples were at the bottom.
Carol's loud voice commentated all the floats as they advanced down the strip.
The marching band was first, a loud group dressed in red uniforms, then it was Alaric's float, a recreation of Virginia's Battle of Willow Creek and finally there was the Miss Mystic float. A few lower and upper classroom floats were behind us, but I didn't know much about what they were about.
The banner that signified the entranced into the float strip was growing closer.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome our stunning Miss Mystic Falls court and their handsome escorts!" I barely heard Carol Lockwood's announcement.
I began waving to the crowds, a falsetto smile plastered on my face. I was happy, I had to admit, and proud of myself for being able to squeeze into this dress, but something else was flickering through my mind.
I thought back to Damon's dumbfounded and hungry gaze as he laid eyes on me for the first time in my gown. It made my heart flip, it made me feel…different. I couldn't exactly describe it. Then when I noticed that Klaus had the same reaction, pushing through the crowd to see who I was, then his expression…
"You've stopped waving, love," Klaus murmured down into my ear.
My heart jumped, startled, and I quickly pretended to adjust my hair.
I heard a snicker beside me and glanced away from the crowd for a moment, glaring up at Klaus.
"Shut up," I grumbled, hating that he'd caught me daydreaming.
He grinned innocently for a moment before smirking when he caught someone's eyes in the crowd.
I looked in his direction and saw Bonnie. Surely he wasn't smirking to her?
Smiling, Bonnie caught my gaze and waved, I beamed and waved back to her, happy to see a friendly face.
Suddenly, Damon walked in front of Bonnie a few feet ahead of her.
He stopped, smirked at me, did that little eye thing he always does and waved.
I rolled my eyes and felt Klaus body inch a bit closer to mine, almost possessively.
Damon's playful gaze hardened when his eyes drifted back over to my escort.
~0~
Third Person POV
The float finally advanced out of Damon's eyesight. He turned around, sensing Bonnie's witchy presence.
"What do you want?" she demanded when she saw him turn around to look at her.
"Just watching the parade," he innocently shrugged.
When she went to walk away, he went after her.
"Where are you going?"
"Away from you," she grouched and Damon quickly stepped in front of her.
"I wanna say something to you," he said earnestly.
"Just leave me alone!" she tried to walk around the vampire, but again, he stepped to block her way.
Before she could walk away again, Damon quickly said what he wanted to say.
"Thank you," he stared right at her when he said it, and for once, he actually meant it.
When he could tell that he had piqued Bonnie's attention, he continued.
"The device that Emily spelled could have killed me. I don't take what you did lightly…so thank you."
Bonnie's gaze hardened. "I did it for Elena and Caroline, not you."
"I know that, but I'm still very grateful. And…" Damon paused a beat. "I owe you."
They stared at one another for a long moment, an awkward sort of tension lingering between them.
"Enjoy the parade."
And with that, Damon disappeared into the dense crowd.
~0~
Inside Grayson Gilbert's old office in town, John, Ezra, Mayor Lockwood, and the deputies stood, blinds drawn.
"This is the key," Ezra explained, holding a small piece of the device up to the much larger box. "Once inserted, the device will be activated. It will work only once, for an estimated time of five minutes."
"Yes," Mayor Lockwood mused. "How does it work?"
John jumped in. "This is a one-time thing. It emits a high pitch frequency that us humans cannot hear. Any vampires within a five-block radius will be incapacitated, exposing them. Then, the sheriff's deputies will inject them with vervain and bring them here, where we can finish them off."
"And you're certain they're attacking tonight?" the Mayor asked, only slightly skeptical.
"If you're having doubts, Mr. Mayor, then we can just call this entire thing off and let the vampires attack your town," Ezra said smoothly. "It's entirely up to you."
When Mayor Lockwood's jaw tightened in annoyance, John jumped in.
"I have a source. One of the vampires from the tomb has confirmed the attack."
~0~
The vampires from the tomb had been squatting in an abandoned building on the outskirts of the town.
"Everybody listen up!" a man, obviously the leader, called out. "The plan stays the same. We wait until the fireworks start; until then, we have to blend in. Stay a part of the celebration and they'll never see us coming."
~0~
Ezra turned to face the others. "They want revenge on what our ancestors did to them in 1864, so that means all the Founding Families are the targets."
~0~
The leader gestured to a large, crudely drawn sky view map of the town square.
"This area here is the stage," he gestured to a small area in the top left corner. "This," the area below it was pointed at, "is where the Founding Families are going to be. Any questions?"
~0~
"This," John pointed at the device. "This is the only way to draw them out and kill them – all of them."
John and Ezra met gazes. Isobel wanted to add the Salvatore brothers to the list. She'd told Ezra that Klaus would be outted by her own accord, but he didn't trust her. Klaus had to be dead permanently, tonight.
~0~
Caroline's POV
I walked into the warm exterior of Mystic Grill, inwardly sighing in comfort at the temperature change. It was a bit nippy for February weather in Virginia. Thankful to be back into my normal clothes, I readjusted my jean jacket and smoothed my long shirt down.
"I like you better like this, Blondie," Damon said, seemingly popping out of nowhere. "The period look, it…didn't suit you."
I scoffed, placing a hand on my hip. "Ouch, jackass,"
Damon smirked, holding his hands up innocently. "Easy there tigress, that was a compliment of the highest order."
My annoyed expression faded from my face and I switched subjects.
"Look, Damon, I know that Stefan is worried about our…friendship," I started.
"Did he mention something to you too?" Damon asked quickly.
"No, did he mention something to you?" I asked, curiously.
Damon said 'too' so Stefan must have said something…a pique of annoyance went through me. Dammit Stefan, I'm not some little girl you have to protect! I can handle Damon on my own.
"No, nothing worth repeating," he answered nonchalantly.
I raised an eyebrow, not satisfied with his answer. However, I didn't say anything. What good would it do? I could just ask Stefan myself.
I sighed, rocking back onto my heels and putting my thumbs into my pockets. "So, maybe I agree with him," I challenged, though I had no idea what he said. "I think you should stop with the flirty little comments and that eye thing you always do."
He stared down at me, lowered and raised his eyebrows, eyes dark.
I huffed, rolling my eyes. He smirked. "What eye thing?"
"You just did it!" Poking him hard in the chest I said, "Don't make me regret being your friend, Damon. Okay?"
He suddenly seemed solemn and perhaps a bit hurt. I felt bad for a moment, before I noticed Jeremy off to the side. I glanced farther down the way and noticed Elena walking away like a kicked puppy.
It was my journal that started all this, so it should be me who tries to fix it.
"What did you say to Elena?" I demanded, stalking over to the younger Gilbert.
"I told her what I'm going to tell you. Go to hell."
He got up, shoving back his chair with his legs and then shoving it to its place under the table with equal force.
The loud screech drew the attention of the people around us.
"Jeremy," I called, following after him.
I finally was able to grab the taller boy's arm outside the Grill.
"It's not completely Elena's fault, Jer," I explained tentatively as Jeremy stared blankly at me. "Damon turned her and killed her the first time, but Stefan killed her the second time. She had to be put down, Jer. She was a danger to you, to your sister, and to me."
He seemed to acknowledge what I said, but it didn't seem to make the situation any better.
"Yeah, whatever, Elena still didn't have to have me compelled."
~0~
Third Person POV
Klaus, who was across the street from the Grill, had heard the entire conversation.
When Jeremy walked away from Caroline and headed back towards the town square, he followed him.
When Klaus finally caught up, Damon was already there.
"I have so many emotions, but I don't have any way to express them," Damon said in a falsetto teenage voice. "Ugh, being a teenager is so hard!"
Jeremy scowled at Damon, barely glancing over his shoulder. "You're a dick!"
Damon stalked forward, grabbing the younger Gilbert's arm.
"You do not talk to me like that. I'm not Caroline and I sure as hell aren't your sister. And from now on, I don't want you to talk to either of them like that."
"Caroline deserves it just as much as Elena does!" Jeremy attempted to jerk his arm out of the vampire's grasp, but to no avail.
Jeremy was mad, but at what? The kid couldn't even figure it out himself. He was angry he forgot Vicki's transformation and death yet he was even more upset that Elena thought she had the right to choose what he did and didn't remember. Caroline, on the other hand, well she was just as guilty as Elena. She was friends with them and wrote about it in her journal. She should have told him.
"She deserves you being a total dick to her?" Damon's grip tightened as he glared dangerously down at Jer.
"So, you're gonna kill me just 'cause I hurt your girlfriend's feelings?"
"He's not her boyfriend, mate," Klaus said, finally deciding to but in and make his presence known. "I think what Damon's trying to say is, cut her some slack."
"Elena erased my memories!" Jeremy grumbled and Klaus rolled his eyes.
"No, I did. She was protecting you from yourself!"
"It wasn't her call to make!"
"You're right, mate, it wasn't. But taking it out on Caroline is not the way to go. Your sister just wanted what she thought was best at the time." Klaus' voice was dangerously calm.
Jeremy tirelessly tries to yank himself away again. "Let me go before I cause a scene."
Damon let out a snort. "You'll be unconscious before you even get a word out."
Stefan arrived, having seen the men bickering from across the way.
"Let him go," Stefan said, stepping between Elena's younger brother and Damon when Jeremy was released. "Are you alright?"
Jeremy nodded, staring warily at Damon.
"What I think they're trying to say is don't blame Elena and Caroline for this. Damon turned Vicki, I killed her, and Klaus compelled you," Stefan said.
Jeremy's eyes widened. Caroline was telling the truth!
"She was a threat to you, your sister and to Care. I'm sorry that it happened the way it did and I would have changed the outcome if I could have."
That was Stefan's version of an apology, Jeremy supposed. He met eyes with Stefan before turning and walking away.
"Still shouldn't have made me forget."
"Good cop, bad cop, I like it," Damon said with a smirk.
"Seemed to get through the little brat's head," Klaus added.
"What are you two doing?" Stefan demanded.
He didn't want Damon to be reckless on Caroline's behalf – or Elena's for that matter. He saw the way that Klaus and Damon looked at Care and he didn't like it. They both needed to remember that Caroline was nothing like Chandra.
"He's being a punk," Damon shrugged.
Stefan had to admit that Damon was right.
"Elena's relationship with her brother is none of your business, so stay out of it," Stefan informed Damon as if the elder didn't already know.
"Oh, there's only one 'do-gooder' role available," Damon retorted.
Klaus watched the two brothers.
Take this as my cue to leave. He thought to himself with a laugh. This is why I'm glad I'm an only child right now.
Klaus disappeared into the crowd, much like Jeremy just did.
"My bad, I'm sorry," Damon continued with a roll of his eyes. Damon laughed dryly at his brother's expression. Stefan looked part annoyed and part angry.
"Get over yourself. We both know that you're not doing this for the right reasons. You care about Caroline, not Elena."
"You see, there you go again with that little big brother act again. What are the right reasons, Stefan? Enlighten me, please!" Damon said sarcastically, staring hard at his brother.
"Well, see Damon, it's only real when it comes from your honest desire to do the right thing for absolutely nothing in return," Stefan said, waving his hands around as he talked. "But you and I both know that that is an entirely foreign concept to you. I completely understand how you wouldn't get it."
~0~
Sheriff Bennett followed Ezra and the mayor into his office.
"Wait, wait, wait. You're telling me, you want to use our town as bait? Are you both insane? That's too dangerous!"
Sheriff Bennett closed the door behind him and went back to stand behind his oak desk.
"We've gone over the plans with all your deputies, they're all on board," the mayor explained calmly.
"And you went behind my back? No!"
"Only because we knew this is exactly how you'd react, sir," Ezra murmured.
The sheriff's participation was key. If he didn't agree to it then Ezra would have to take…drastic measures.
"Our children are here!" the sheriff pointed out, throwing up his hands.
"Rudy, you and I both know that this needs to happen. There's no other way to get rid of the tomb vampires! Isn't this the exact reason the secret council was created by our Founding Fathers?" Ezra urged.
Seconds ticked by, the room silent. Ezra and Rudy stared at one another for a long time.
"I'm the sheriff. What I say goes and what I say is no," Rudy finally said.
Ezra sighed, knowing what he had to do.
"Richard, let me speak to the sheriff alone for a moment if you will."
Mayor Lockwood nodded, leaving the pair alone.
Rudy came around his desk, "Ezra, this isn't right and you know it. I'm not gonna let this happen."
When he went back around his desk, Ezra struck.
He replaced the book he'd whacked Rudy with and dragged his unconscious body over to the right wall, where he handcuffed the sheriff to a tall pipe. Removing Rudy's belt, he placed it on his desk. Ezra gazed at Rudy's unconscious body regretfully before leaving.
~0~
Many hours later, right after dusk, Damon ran into Anna.
"You're still around?" he asked, cocking up an eyebrow.
He'd expected her to tuck tail and run the moment Isobel got the device.
She nodded grimly. "There's something you need to know. The vampires from the tomb are planning an attack tonight."
Damon's eyes widened before narrowing suspiciously. "How do you know this?"
"I went to them," she explained. "They think that I'm with them, but I'm not. They want the Founding Families dead."
Caroline's pretty blonde face flashed into Damon's mind.
"When is this supposed to happen?"
"When the fireworks start."
Both vampires stood in silence.
After a moment of contemplating, Damon said, "John and Ezra want to use that invention on them."
"Then we can't be here!" Anna's look of panic returned. She had planned on leaving right after she left Jeremy's house, but Mystic Falls was her home. She couldn't let the tomb vampires destroy it. That was why she was standing there, warning Damon.
"It doesn't work, it's been deactivated," Damon insisted.
At least, that's what the Bennett witch told me..
"Well, then a lot of people are going to die."
A look of determined nervousness passed over Damon's face, his eyebrows lowering.
"Where are they right now?"
Anna looked down for a moment before meeting Damon's urgent gaze. "They're already here, Damon."
And with that, he was gone.
~0~
The tomb vampires, a large group of at least 20, stood crowded together. They were meeting around the corner from where the celebration was going to begin.
"Remember," the leader said, his eyes traveling throughout the crowd. "We don't know which of them ingest vervain. It's not about the feed, it's about the kill."
He took a breath, letting the information – the command – sink in.
"You know what to do."
The group, clad in volunteer shirts and everyday wear, dispersed.
~0~
Damon staked through the crowd, searching for Alaric. He was using all of his senses to find the vampire hunter.
Where is that damn vampire hunter when you need him?!
Heh. Never thought I'd willingly search out an ex-vampire hunter.
Damon finally caught a glimpse of Alaric's tall figure in the crowd.
"Ric!" he shouted, briskly walking towards him.
The elder vampire pushed through the crowd, murmuring, "Excuse me!" or "Move!" if the humans were less adamant to get out of the way.
He called Ric's name again as he got closer, finally catching his attention. Damon jerked his thumb to the right, signaling for him to meet over by the buildings, where there were less possible eavesdroppers.
"You still keep those nifty little vampire darts in the car?"
Alaric frowned. "Yeah, why do you ask?"
Vampire darts? Why would we need vampire darts?
"Because this square is crawling with tomb vampires. I think we might need a stake or two."
Alaric didn't waste a second. "Yeah, got it."
The hunter quickly made his way to his car, leaving Damon to warn his friends.
Damon saw Stefan and Elena first.
He approached his brother, throwing his arm over his shoulder.
"What are you doing?" Elena asked, looking annoyed that Damon had come and interrupted.
"Saving your life," he said nonchalantly. "Hm…fifteen words or less…tomb vamps are here, founding families are their target."
He turned to Stefan. "Get her out of here, I'll go and find Caroline and Klaus."
Damon melted into the crowd.
"Wait, Jeremy is out here somewhere!" Elena realized, tugging on Stefan's arm.
Stefan hesitated for a spit second. When Elena tugged again, he let out a huff. "Let's go find him, come on!"
~0~
Matt and Angelica were inside Mystic Grill at a table. Her boyfriend kept glancing over at Tyler and it was getting on her nerves.
Why couldn't they just make up already?
"There was this time, two years ago, when I was in a fight with my friend and we swore we would never talk again."
"Ang, give it a rest, will ya? It's bad enough that my mom's still here, coming home drunk every night, mumbling about how sorry she is," Matt grumbled, getting annoyed with his girlfriend.
They sat in silence, picking at what was left of their meals.
Mayor Lockwood arrived at the Grill, immediately going towards his son.
"What are you doing here? I told you to go home!"
Tyler glanced up from his game of pool, a defiant look on his face. Leaning on his pool stick, he said, "I decided not to."
"If I tell you to do something, you do it!" the mayor growled, gripping Tyler's arm tightly.
"Let go of me!" Tyler jerked his arm as hard as he could, but to no avail.
Caroline walked out of the girl's bathroom with a strange look on her face.
"Mayor, is everything okay?" she asked, approaching the mayor and his son.
Matt and Angelica got up too, having watched the encounter from their booth.
Mayor Lockwood let go of Tyler's arm and grew solemn. "Please Tyler; I need you to go home, now. Take your friends with you."
Caroline's eyes widened. What was going on?
Almost on cue, her phone rang.
Drawing it out of her pocket, she found that it was Zach.
"Hello?" she answered.
"Hey Care, you need to get home."
"What, why? Is something wrong?"
Damon's voice was suddenly on the line. "Like I told Stefan, fifteen words or less…Tomb vamps are here, Founding Families are the target. I got your uncle, now go!"
"No, Damon! I want to help!"
"There's no time for this!"
The line went dead and Caroline stared down at her phone in shock.
"Caroline, Matt, Angelica, go with Tyler." The mayor commanded, throwing Tyler his keys.
Ten minutes later, Anna found Jeremy right outside the restrooms inside Mystic Grill.
"What are you doing here? My uncle could see you!" Jeremy exclaimed as Anna began pushing him towards the bathroom door.
"I don't care about that. I needed to find you. C'mere."
They went into the restroom.
~0~
Mayor Lockwood stood on the small stage inside the square. He was giving his speech, his dark eyes scanning the crowd. He locked eyes with a deputy, thankful to find more than one in the crowd.
"For one hundred and fifty years, Mystic Falls has been the kind of town that everybody wants to call home: safe, prosperous, welcoming. And we have the Founders to thank for that. That's why I'd like to dedicate this evening's firework display to their legacy."
Everyone applauded. Inside the crowd that had gathered in front of the stage, were the tomb vampires. Two in particular met eyes with one another from across the crowd, before turning their gaze to the mayor.
~0~
John and one of the deputies stood inside the old Gilbert building, waiting for the signal.
The deputy had been pacing the small room anxiously for the past ten minutes.
"Go ahead and get into position," John murmured, heading towards the counter where the device sat.
~0~
"Enjoy the show!" Mayor Lockwood exclaimed. The fireworks burst into bright splashes of color behind him.
As he began walking off stage, he met eyes with the same deputy once more. The deputy retrieved his wife, ushering to the right of the stage to meet with her husband.
Meanwhile, the leader of the tomb vampires pushed his way through the crowd, his dark brown eyes trained on Mayor Lockwood. He bumped into someone, muttering, "Excuse me, I'm sorry" and continuing on.
Little did he know, the someone was Bonnie Bennett. Pictures flashed throughout her brain and she immediately knew what he was.
~0~
Damon stalked through the crowd. He still was unable to find Klaus. He wasn't answering his phone or responding to his texts.
I don't have time to worry about Klaus. He's a big bad old vampire, he can take care of himself.
Damon silently entered Grayson Gilbert's old office behind Ezra.
"Do either of you have any idea what you've done?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do," John responded.
Damon moved towards the men, but Ezra was quick to slip the gear into the device, activating it. A high pitched squeal hit Damon's ears and he fell to the ground, screaming.
~0~
Stefan and Elena moved through the outskirts of the square when it hit.
Stefan fell to his knees, gripping his head tightly.
"Stefan! What's going on? What's happening?" Elena asked, kneeling down next to him.
"My head," he ground out.
The pain was unbearable. It felt like his brain was imploding and having nails driven into all sides at once. Then, you could combine that pain with the pain of an aneurysm. And that pain was almost too much for Stefan to fathom.
"What?" she asked, bringing her head closer to his face.
"My head!" he repeated, face contorting in pain.
She quickly helped him up and moved him farther from the crowd, bringing him into the dim shadows cast by one of the buildings.
~0~
Damon convulsed on the cold floor, his palms covering his ears.
As if that would help.
John slowly pulled a syringe out of his pocket and handed it to Ezra.
"I'll let you do the honors," he murmured.
Ezra nodded, taking the syringe and sticking into the back of Damon's neck.
~0~
Anna and Jeremy, still in the Grill's restrooms, were talking about what had been going on when Anna fell.
She started screaming like the others, grabbing her head while simultaneously trying to block out the noise.
"Anna? What's wrong?" Jeremy took the girl into his arms. "Anna!"
She crumpled to the floor, sliding out of his grasp.
"Please, make it stop!"
~0~
The device was a success. Any and all vampires were incapacitated.
The tomb vampire's leader fell as one of the deputies injected him with vervain and drug him towards the Gilbert's building. Elena crouched over Stefan as he screamed in pain. Jeremy held Anna as she sobbed.
As Ezra peeked out the blinds, he couldn't help but to smile.
This is the second to last chapter of Everything Changes! When Season 2 rolls around I am going to start a new book!
Give me title ideas?
I know that these last two chapters are going to be like the TV Show episodes, but that's only because the story line will be the same for now. Though I do believe my plot twist that I have coming up will shock you all ;)
QOTC: what would you like to see happen in season 2?